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TO BE GIVEN A KIDNEY

Kathryn Abraham, 31, from Kettering, was given a kidney by her dad – it saved her life

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE…

“Holding my hairdryer left me out of breath, and I always felt exhausted in my job at a children’s centre. I tried to carry on, but I was becoming seriously ill, and my parents and boyfriend, Luke, were extremely worried. I’d been diagnosed with kidney failure 18 years ago, aged 13 – it was an unusual and unlucky complication after I’d fallen sick with a rare disease, Henoch-Schönlein purpura, where blood vessels get inflamed. I was left with only 40 per cent kidney function, and told I’d eventually need a transplant.

‘To keep my kidneys going as long as possible, I couldn’t drink more than a litre of fluid a day, and I also had to eat a low-potassium diet, which was hard – so no chips, cheese, potatoes, chocolate. Over the years, my kidneys gradually became worse. By late 2012, my kidney function was at just four per cent and I started emergency dialysis, three times a week for three-and-a-half hours.

About Healthy Magazine

Discover your #healthystressbuster of choice in our May issue of healthy, which features one of our favourite wellbeing warriors, Ella Mills (aka Deliciously Ella).
We’ve rounded up 21 ways to conquer stress, including food to keep you calm and an exclusive feature on anxiety – take the quiz to find out how it affects you!
Next up, give Easter a ‘bake-over’ with our inspiring recipe pages, featuring spelt hot buns and vegan ‘Snickers’ bars.
Plus! We ask: do you need female Viagra? And are you born to be fat?
Find out more in the brand new issue of healthy.